Patterson Sets Program Record, Women's Basketball Comes Up Short At LIU
Patterson scored a career-high 26 points and set a new single-season three-pointers program record.
The Central Connecticut women's basketball team dropped a close 63-57 contest with LIU Brooklyn in the regular season finale at the Steinberg Wellness Center in Brooklyn, NY on Sunday. Senior Kiana Patterson set a new program record for most single-season three-pointers made while capturing two career-highs in points and three-pointers made in a game. Patterson led the way with 26 points including seven three-pointers, but LIU's 16-of-20 free throws in the final quarter proved to be the deciding factor on its Senior Day.
CCSU finishes the 2017-18 campaign 7-22 and 7-11 in the NEC with a secure spot in the 2018 Northeast Conference Tournament. The Blackbirds improved to 8-10 in the NEC and 12-17 on the year.
The Blue Devils have secured the seventh seed in the NEC playoffs and will play #2 Robert Morris on Wednesday evening at 4:30 p.m. at the North Athletic Complex in Moon Township, PA.
Patterson's third three-pointer of the game with 5:49 left in the second quarter, broke her own program record for most three-pointers made in a single-season of 71 set during the 2016-17 season. The junior now has 76 three's on the year after Sunday's contest.
The first half of Sunday's contest featured multiple short runs from both teams with the Blackbirds building a lead up to as many as 12 points with 4:23 left in the second quarter. Trailing by 11 with just under four minutes to go before halftime, Central made a strong push to gain the momentum back and took off on a 7-0 run.
In the final first half stretch, freshman Ashely Berube powered in buckets on back-to-back possessions and swatted away a pair of clean blocks while junior Andi Lydon found her first points of the match on a triple from the top of the key to bring the Blue Devils to within 30-26 at the break.
CCSU drained six three-pointers and LIU Brooklyn shot 43.8 percent (14-of-33) in the opening 20 minutes.
The Blue Devils broke out a 13-6 second half start to take its first lead at 39-36 since the 4:33 mark in the first quarter on Patterson's fifth three-pointer of the contest with 5:48 left in the third.
The rest of the game was a back-and-forth chess match with neither team being able to break away until the 30 seconds. Patterson drained her sixth three-pointer with 53 seconds to go in the contest to make the score 58-56, but a 5-of-6 effort from the charity line proved to be the deciding factor.
Berube finished the game with nine rebounds to lead CCSU on the glass. LIU's DeAngelique Waithe led the Blackbirds with 21 points.
The Northeast Conference quarterfinals will begin on Wednesday, March 7 and will be hosted by the NEC's Co-Regular Season Champions, Robert Morris and Saint Francis U, at a time to be announced.
